The Partners at the Lake
by Restless Scribe
Summary: What will Brennan do when Booth thinks about leaving the FBI.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own the characters. They belong to Fox and the TV program Bones.

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Temperance Brennan sat at her desk staring at the crack in the ballerina's mandible. She could tell that someone had kicked the poor girl in the face, but that didn't help her figure out who it was who had caused the blow. She was so wrapped up in her work that she didn't notice when her partner came in and stood behind her.

"Whoever it is, he has quite a kick."

Brennan jumped, startled by the sound of Booth's voice.

"I didn't see you there," Brennan said smiling at the appearance of verbal sparring partner. "How do you know it was a man, the kicker could have just as easily been a woman."

"What woman is going to have enough force to create a fracture like that?"

"I could, and so could most highly trained ballerinas I suspect.

"Forget about the ballerina for a second, come sit on the couch with me. I have something that I have to discuss with you."

Booth had a serious look on his face that caused a knot to appear in the center of her stomach.

Brennan got up and moved to the couch, positioning herself next to her partner. She had found him to be a little distant lately, which was unlike him. Although there were some things that he didn't seem to want to share with her, she had always felt very close to Booth, that despite their differences, they had a connection between the two of them that they didn't share with anyone else.

"After this case is over Bones, I think I'm going to take some time off."

"A vacation?" Brennan relaxed a bit. "Are you going to go to Hawaii? You never did go around your birthday."

"No, Bones, I don't mean a vacation, I mean some time off, away from the bureau."

The knot was back in her stomach.

"Rebecca is swamped in her new job and she said that I could take Parker for the summer. I thought I'd take him back to Pennsylvania with me. There's a cabin in the Poconos that belongs to my friend Jeffrey and his family. They have a couple of extra rooms and they invited Parker and I."

"A couple of months? You're not quitting are you Booth?

"I'm not sure where this is heading, I just know that I need I break to figure out where I want the rest of my life to go."

A wave of nausea came over Brennan, this she was not prepared for. She barely went 3 days without seeing Booth, but two whole months, and possibly more? She told herself that this thought was silly, she had survived years without him in her life, and having her friend gone should have no real affect on her. She rationalized that her queasy feeling was at the thought of having to break in a new partner while he was away. She wanted to seem supportive, as she knew he would of her.

"That's great Booth. I'm sure Parker will enjoy the time out of the city, and despite the fact that I prefer to keep busy at all time, I know how you like your relaxation time."

"Great. Glad you understand Bones." Booth said with a half smile on his face.

Booth was glad this went so well. Not that he thought she would admit that she would miss him while he was gone, but he thought there might be some complaints about him abandoning their work together. He really didn't need to get into why he needed some time off with her. He loved the work, and loved working with Bones, but lately the frustration that came with having to always put limits on their relationship had taken its toll on him. Whoever thought unrequited love/sexual tension was a good thing had never lived through it. He had to start accepting that this might not happen, and a change of scenery might just be what he needed to get himself to move on.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Brennan was anxious during the rest of the case. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't seem to focus on her work. Booth joked that she wasn't helping him solve the case because she didn't believe in vacations and thought he shouldn't be leaving. She felt ill every time he said it.

"That's ridiculous Booth, this is just a very difficult case. I am perfectly fine with you taking some time off. I already spoke with Cullen about your replacement and he said that in the event a new case comes up while you're gone I'll work with Agent Sanderson."

Booth smiled but looked a little hurt at the same time. His partner always had a way of rationalizing even the most irrational situations.

However, soon Booth's taunting no longer mattered, because Wendall had discovered the tap shoe mark on the back of the ballerina's skull, and an arrest was soon made in the case.

Booth and Brennan sat at the table in the lab doing the final paperwork late into the night. Booth wanted to finish up before morning so that he could pick Parker up at daybreak and head out of town before the commuter traffic hit. They sat quietly at the table sharing the remnants of the take out Thai food they had ordered; Brennan in her lab coat and Booth in a grey t-shirt and jeans.

"Pass me the pad Thai." Brennan requested.

But instead of passing the cardboard container Booth picked up a bunch of the noodles with his chopsticks and positioned them in front of Brennan's mouth.

"Open up Bones," he joked, a perfect smile appearing on his face. Brennan gave a sly smile back, opened her mouth and slurped up all of the noodles in one bite sucking on the end of the chopsticks as the remnants of sauce dripped off the edges.

"Good?" Booth asked, sly smile still across his lips.

"Very," was Brennan's reply.

"More?"

"Of course."

Booth placed another bite of the pad Thai in Brennan's mouth as Cam appeared by the side of the table.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

"No, of course not," Brennan replied as she sheepishly rolled her chair away from Booth.

"I thought everyone else had gone home," said Booth. "What are you still doing here Camille?"

"Disappointed?" Cam said as she smiled at the two partners. "I had some paperwork of my own to go over before I headed home. That's what happens when you're the boss. Well Seeley, I'm sorry you won't be around here for a while, but have a great time with Parker in the Poconos."

"Thanks Camille"

As Cam walked out of the building Booth let out a big yawn.

"I should be going. I need to get some rest if I'm going to finish packing before I pick Parker up. Do you need a ride home?"

Brennan's car was in the lot, but something in her was not quite ready to say goodbye to Booth.

"Actually yes," she fumbled the lie a little, but Booth didn't seem to notice, or maybe he just didn't want to notice. "I'm really tired and would appreciate the lift if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Booth replied, "I'm here to help…well, at least until tomorrow."

The partners piled into the car and drove silently back to Brennan's apartment. Neither one of them knew what to say. It had been so long since they'd been separated, it felt unnatural to not end the night by saying see you tomorrow. When they reached Brennan's apartment they both sat quietly in the car for a moment collecting their thoughts. Booth spoke first.

"You have my cell phone if there's an emergency."

"I'm sure Agent Sanderson can handle whatever comes up Booth."

"Of course Bones, but I just mean, well, you know, if you need me…for anything, you know you can call."

"Of course."

Neither one was sure what to do then. Brennan was still in the car staring at Booth, trying to imprint the memory of him into her mind, just in case he never came back. That happens sometimes, people drive away, and don't return. Booth sensed something more complicated than an end of the night goodbye was going through Brennan's head and he reached down to brush the hair off her face.

"I'll see you soon," he said.

Her breath quickened a bit at the contact. She raised her hand as if to touch his, but then thought better of it and quickly exited the car. As she walked into her apartment she leaned against the driver's side of Booth's car knocking on the window. Booth rolled it down. Brennan rummaged through her bag for a moment and pulled out a small package wrapped in some tissue paper.

"Here, it's for Parker. It's a child's telescope. I thought he might like to look at the stars when he's up in the woods."

"Thanks Bones," said Booth as a warm smile crossed his face. He knew she wasn't always the most thoughtful of people, so it always touched him when she did something nice for someone else, especially when that someone else was his son. "I'll see you around." Booth rolled up the window and pulled away. Brennan stood by the sidewalk watching as he drove off, wondering when she would see him next.


	3. Chapter 3

**Six Weeks Later**

Brennan was standing on the platform examining a new skeleton that had come in when Angela approached her.

"Do you have the markers yet? Can I take a crack at the face?"

"Not yet Angela! I told you I'd let you know when it's ready."

"God sweetie, what's with you lately? You've been on edge since Booth left. I know you miss him, but you can't take that out on everyone here."

"That's ridiculous," Brennan said giving Angela a look like her friend had just called the ocean pink. "I don't miss Booth. It's just that Agent Sanderson and I don't work together quite as well since he's new. The other day he let the FBI clear a crime scene before I had even gotten there. Who know what particulates we could have missed."

"Uh huh," Angela shook her head in a sarcastic manner. "I'm sure Agent Sanderson is getting on your nerves, but why can't you just admit, that it's just not the same when Booth isn't here?"

"Booth is my partner Angela, that's it. Things are easier when he's here because we've worked together a long time and we each know how the other one works, that's all."

"Ok, if you insist, but you need to calm down a bit. Why don't you get out of here and take a walk. You've been standing at this table for 5 hours straight.

"I don't need to calm down Angela, but you're right, a walk might do me good, then I can come back to examine this tibia with fresh eyes. I'll go get some coffee across the street."

Brennan was crossing K St. thinking about how annoying Angela's comments were when she heard her name.

"Dr. Brennan how are you?"

Brennan was startled. She turned around to see Rebecca standing there. Social situations had never been her forte, but this was a particularly odd situation considering Parker was with her. Wasn't he supposed to be up at the Lake with Booth?

Brennan stumbled her words a bit, "Oh, hi Rebecca, hi Parker."

"Hi Bones!" Parker waved ecstatically.

"Parker," Rebecca scolded, "it's not nice to call her Bones, you should call her Dr. Brennan"

"But daddy always calls her Bones."

"It's OK Rebecca, I don't mind. Parker is like a miniature Booth, and I think it's kind of sweet when he calls me Bones."

"How is Booth?" Rebecca asked.

"What do you mean? Haven't you talked to him?

Bones was getting nervous. Had no one heard from Booth since he had left? Had Booth lied to her? She reached into her pocket and fingered her phone thinking about the moment when she could get away from Rebecca and Parker and call Booth. After all, he did say she could call him whenever. Rebecca could sense her agitation and quickly responded.

"Oh, yes of course. I spoke to him on Saturday when he dropped Parker off, but I haven't heard from him since then and I assumed that he had just gone back to work. Maybe he decided to take a few more days off before he went back."

Brennan calmed a little, perhaps Rebecca was right and Booth simply wanted to take another week off before he came back to work. There was no reason he had to call her when he got back into town. After all, they were just colleagues, and if they weren't working together there really wasn't any reason for him to call. Brennan smiled at Rebecca and Parker and waved it off.

"Yes of course, I'm sure that's it. It was nice running into the two of you, and I'm sure I'll hear from Booth in the next day or two," she said as she ran across the street.

Brennan was visibly upset as she entered the coffee shop. Although she and Booth were work partners, she had also considered him a friend, weren't friends supposed to check in with each other when they were back in town? She reached into her pocket again and handled her phone. She should just call him, like she had a thousand times before, that wouldn't be weird. She had even called him about non-work related things every once in a while, I'm sure Booth wouldn't care. She went to pull the phone out, but then it was her turn to order and she slipped it back into her pocket. By the time she left the coffee shop she changed her mind and went straight back to work.

Not that she was able to concentrate the rest of the day. And when she left work and got in her Mercedes to drive home, she found her car instinctively wandering over to Booth's apartment. She sat outside for a moment before she rang the bell. There wasn't any real reason for her to be there. In fact, she wasn't even supposed to know he was home. "You're being silly," she said to herself. "You've known Booth for four years, he's let you cry in his arms, there's no reason why you can't show up unannounced."

Brennan rang the bell but there was no answer. She rang again. Still no answer. Brennan turned to go but then stopped. She saw the rock by his door and remembered that the key was beneath it. She reached down and picked up the key and slowly opened his door.

"Booth, are you here." But he obviously wasn't. All the lights were out in his apartment. The lake house address was on the fridge. A big pile of mail was stacked on the kitchen table, but when Brennan sifted through it, she noticed that nothing important seemed to be in the pile. He had been there; he just wasn't anymore. As she wondered what to do, the phone rang. Booth's answering machine picked up and Brennan heard his message.

"Hi, you've reached Seeley Booth, I will be away from Washington DC in the Poconos until August 24th. If this is an emergency please call me on my cell phone. If this has to do with work please call Agent Sanderson at the FBI."

Brennan waited, but no one left a message. The lake house, maybe Booth was still there, but why would he come back and drop Parker off just to go back up? Hadn't he said that Rebecca said it was fine for him to stay with Booth the full two months? She cursed herself for not asking Rebecca when she had the chance. Hadn't she learned any investigating skills from her years as Booth's partner?

Brennan pulled out her cell and dialed Booth's number, she just wanted to make sure he was ok, and talking to him would be the quickest way to figure out this mystery. But Booth did not pick up, and the phone went directly to voicemail. Brennan knew she might be acting irrationally for one time in her life, but she jumped in her car and was soon heading out of the city towards Pennsylvania.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Brennan made it to the Poconos it was after midnight. Her car drove down the dark and windy roads swerving in and out of towering pine trees. As she pulled off the main road onto the dirt one that went up to Lake Idlewild, her heart began to race. What if Booth wasn't here, what if something had happened to him in DC and she was wasting time by driving all the way up into the mountains.

She managed to calm herself down as she parked her car in the driveway and climbed the rocky hill to the front door. There were two, one for the upper unit and one for the lower. She rationalized that Booth's friend would keep the upper half with the better view for his family and give the lower one to Booth, but then on second thought she knew that if it were Booth's place he would insist on giving the better view to his friend and she figured that a close friend of his might do the same. She took a deep breath and pushed the doorbell for the top unit. A light went on and a few seconds later she heard someone walking towards the door. Then it was open and there stood Booth in boxers and nothing else looking quiet sleepy.

"Bones, what are you doing here?" he said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Just happy to see that he was ok and standing before her Brennan stood frozen for a moment.

"Bones?"

"Sorry Booth, it's late and the drive made me groggy."

"Is everything ok Bones? Did something happen?" Booth said in a sudden panic.

"Everything is fine, well not fine, but you see I saw Parker, and then I wasn't sure if you were still in DC, and then the logical thing seemed that you'd be up here, but I wasn't sure, and so I got in the car…"

"Bones! If you're not going to get to the point anytime soon can we go inside?"

Booth ushered Brennan into the house and over to one of the chairs in the living room. He sat down next to her and rubbed his eyes.

"Now," he said, "Can you explain to me what you're doing here?"

"Are you coming back to work Booth? "

"Bones, I told you, I'd be gone for two months. It's only been a month and a half."

"Yes, I know, but you also said that you were taking Parker away for two months and I saw him in DC with Rebecca."

"Bones," Booth smiled, "Were you worried about me?"

"What? No. I was just trying to solve a mystery. Rebecca had said that you were in DC on Saturday, and when I went to your house and you weren't there and the stack of mail was piling up I just wanted to make sure…"

"Wait, you broke into my house?"

"I didn't break in, I used the key, and I was just making sure you weren't lying on the floor dead Booth."

"So you were worried about me?" Booth said, sly smile still beaming from his face.

Brennan opened her mouth to protest but then closed it giving Booth a half smile.

"Are you coming back to work Booth?"

"I don't know Bones. I mean I'll go back to the FBI, but it might be time for me to get a new assignment?"

"But why? Are you tired of homicide, or is it that you don't enjoy working with me anymore?"

Brennan felt sick as the words came out of her mouth. Was this really it, did he not want to work with her, had he ever enjoyed working with her or was all the time he spent with her just Booth being the kind and reliable Booth. What if they weren't really friends, what if all that was between them was Booth's attempt to make the best out of a work situation. She had missed social cues before, what if she had misread their whole relationship?"

"Listen Bones, it's not you, well not exactly, I just feel like I need a change, you understand. I spent years as an army ranger, moving from place to place, always a new assignment, but always the same thing, death. And that's what it is now too, people tossed into wood chippers, thrown off of overpasses, melted in a tub of lye, but always death, I was thinking that missing persons might be nice for a while, when we solve the case hopefully there's a live person at the end."

Booth knew he was mostly lying. He just didn't have the strength to tell Bones the truth, not now, not here, not at 1:00 in the morning.

"Sure, I guess I could see that," Bones said slowly. "Sometimes I feel like I need to go on an archeological dig for a month or so, just to get some perspective, but I always enjoy coming back and working on our cases, solving our mysteries, righting the wrongs that have been done to these people."

"I don't want to talk about this now Bones, let's get some rest and we'll talk more in the morning."

"Ok, where do I sleep?" Bones looked around noticing there was no couch in the living room, just the two armchairs that she and Booth were sitting on.

"I would say that you could sleep in the room where Parker slept, but the bed is small. My friend Steve works as a carpenter and built most of the furniture you see in the house. The bed in the extra bedroom is for a child. He carved it out of tree trunk to look like a canoe. Parker loved it. You can bunk with me though, the bed in the master bedroom in gigantic."

Brennan wasn't sure how she felt about this, but she was so tired that all she could think about was climbing into bed and getting to sleep. Plus, although she didn't like to admit it to herself, after not seeing Booth for six weeks she wasn't ready to be separated from him yet, even if he was just in the other room.

"Ok, sharing it is," she said.

Brennan went into the Bathroom and came out in one of Booth's old t-shirts. He gulped a little as he saw her. Man, how am I going to get through this he thought? I came here to get away from her for a while, and here I am sharing a bed with her. Smooth move Seeley, you had to say let's share a bed. I should have offered to sleep on the floor.

Brennan climbed into bed next to Booth and turned off the light. Although she was on the other side of the bed, Booth could still smell the scent of her hair as she lay her head on the pillow next to his.

"Goodnight Booth."

"Goodnight Bones."

Feeling semi-relaxed for the first time since Booth had left for the lake, Brennan fell asleep right away. Booth didn't think he'd be able to sleep with her so close by, but he eventually must have nodded off because when he awoke her arm was lying across his chest and her head was tucked into the crook between his neck and shoulder. She was so close he could barely breathe. He knew he should roll her back to her own side of the bed but it felt so good to have her near him, her soft skin pressed against his chest, her hair caressing the side of his cheek. Instead of pushing her away, he did the unthinkable and boldly pulled her closer. Hey, if she could wrap her arm around him by accident in her sleep, he could pull her into his arms while he "slept".

But now it was just too much for him. Every inch of her body was pressed against him making every nerve in his own body stand on end, and all the blood seemed to be rushing downward towards his groin. Booth tried to close his eyes and just enjoy the sensation of sleeping this close to her.

Brennan woke up to find herself fully entwined with Booth. She wasn't sure how she had gotten there, but she knew she didn't want to pull away. His warm breath was on her neck and his arms were wrapped around her. She was usually not a cuddler, but she had to admit to herself that nothing felt quite as good as being thins close to her partner. Ever since that day in her office when he had told her he was taking some time off she had been afraid that he would leave and she would never see him again. Being this close to him now, wrapped up in his arms while they slept, she felt secure, he almost felt like hers.

Booth stirred and his hand slid down onto Brennan's bottom, where he proceeded to pull her closer to him. She could feel his hard-on pressing against her through the thin material of his cotton boxers. She wasn't sure what to do. She knew the signs, elevated heartbeat, breathing rapidly, her pupils must be dilating, she was most certainly aroused. This wasn't a surprise to her, she had always known that she was attracted to Booth since they first became partners, but here was evidence that he was attracted to her too. She lay there frozen, not knowing what to do when suddenly Booth's hand moved from her bottom up to her head. He pushed the hair away from her face and moved his own so his forehead was pressed against hers, his lips just millimeters away from hers. Then suddenly there was no longer any space separating them. They kissed slowly and sensually. His lips felt so soft against her own. And electric shock ran through Brennan every time his lips touched hers. She could barely breathe let alone think, but then she did, and she panicked. What was she doing? This was Booth, her partner, her friend. What would this mean? This could ruin everything between them.

Brennan pushed Booth away.

"I can't, I'm sorry Booth."

"What's wrong Bones?"

"I'm sorry, this was a mistake, I shouldn't have come here."

Brennan quickly got up and ran out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Brennan ran out into the living room and searched frantically for her keys. Booth jumped up out of bed and ran after her.

"What are you doing Bones?" Booth said slightly exasperated.

"Looking for my keys, I know I left them around here somewhere." She through stuff around the room in an effort to get out of there as quickly as possible.

"Bones, sit down, and we'll talk about this."

"Booth, I don't see anything to discuss, the sun is coming up, it's almost morning, I gained the information that I came here to discover, you seem like you're in perfect health, so there is no longer any reason for me to be here."

With this Brennan found her keys sitting on a table next to her purse. "Ah, there they are!" She grabbed both and headed for the door not realizing that she was still dressed in Booth's t-shirt.

"You gonna leave in that shirt?" Booth said, slightly laughing, and slightly annoyed.

"Oh, right, I should change." Brennan looked around, a bit embarrassed that she hadn't remembered that she was still wearing his t-shirt.

As Brennan headed for the bedroom to change her clothes she had to pass Booth standing in the doorway. When she approached he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards him. Brennan struggle to free herself, but it was no use.

"Let go of me Booth before I do something we both regret." The anthropologist stared coldly into Booth's eyes, and he gave her an equally steely stare back.

"What are you doing Bone? Why can't you just calm down so we can talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about Booth!" That was it for Booth, he could stand confusion, but he couldn't take her denial that anything was going on.

"See, that right there, that's why I can't work with you anymore."

"What?" Brennan questioned, a bit taken aback by Booth's confession.

"I can't go through this anymore Bones, if you're not going to meet me half way, I just can't do it. It's killing me."

"What are you talking about Booth?"

"I'm talking about us, I'm talking about this thing that we have between us, that you don't seem to want to acknowledge. You've got to know how I feel about you. Every day I go to work and there you are sitting next to me at your office, in the SUV, in the interrogation room, I'm supposed to be concentrating on finding a killer but all I can think of is wanting to kiss you, to hold you in my arms and never let go of you."

Booth's hand relaxed from Brennan's arm and he placed his hand on her face and ran his fingers softly through her hair.

"I wish I was, but I'm just not strong enough Bones."

Brennan looked up into Booth's warm brown eyes, felt his touch on her face, and she couldn't bare it anymore either. Hearing him say those things to her, how much he needed her, wanted her, all she could think about was how much she wanted him too. Next thing she knew she threw her arms around Booth's neck and started kissing him passionately. Tongues battled like swords in each other's mouths. Although they were just kissing, each felt like they could stay like this forever. Every second the kiss felt more perfect than either could have imagined. Booth pulled her closer and pushed her against the wall creating as much contact as possible. He lifted her slightly and Brennan wrapped her legs around him kissing him hungrily. Booth walked them into the bedroom while trying to pull his t-shirt off of her at the same time. When he reached the bed the two crashed down in a fit of passion. He moved his body on top of hers starting with her forehead and kissing downward. He ran his lips over her neck and collarbone until he made his way to her right breast. Taking it fully in his mouth he sucked on her nipple until she let out a moan. He quickly moved to the other one submitting it to the same exquisite torture. When he was satisfied that she couldn't take any more he very gently ran kisses down her stomach landing right below her belly button. She ran her hands through his soft brown hair, enjoying the sensations that were now going to forever be associated with her partner. He caressed her thighs spreading them just enough to kiss the skin on the inner part of each.

"Oh Booth," she moaned.

He loved the sound of her moaning his name and wanted nothing more than to taste her. He ran his tongue over her clit as he plunged two fingers inside of her. He heard Brennan moan with excitement as she bucked her hips to raise herself closer to his mouth. She could feel herself so close, too close.

"Oh Booth, I need you inside of me, now."

Brennan tried to pull him up and push his boxers down at the same time exposing his by now, very hard penis. Booth positioned himself so he was right at her entrance. He took her hand in his and grabbed her hip with the other thrusting into her. Both cried out with pleasure. Brennan could barely stand it, nothing had ever felt this good before. She had never wanted to feel this close to another human being. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him into her deeper. She looked into his eyes and all she could think was that he had the warmest brown eyes she had ever seen. Booth continued to thrust into her, slowly first, trying not to come too quickly, which proved harder with every pump.

"I love you so much," he said breathlessly as he looked into her eyes.

"I love you too," Brennan said before pulling him closer and sticking her tongue in his ear.

This sent Booth over the edge. He started to thrust at an almost frantic pace until he heard her scream and felt the contractions of her muscles around him. He pushed into her deeply and let himself go. He collapsed on top of her, the two of them completely spent. He lay his head on her chest and Brennan gently stroked his hair. She loved the sensation of having him inside of her and wasn't ready to let it go yet. They lay like that for what seemed like hours, but was probably only ten minutes or so.

"So do you still think missing persons will be more exciting Booth?"

"No Bones, nothing is more exciting than working with you."

The End.


End file.
